According to Ze Frank, this screen capture shows the cover of the children’s book “Lizard Has A ****** Day.”
If you’re not already familiar with Comedian Ze Frank’s True Facts Series, you need to check them out. Frank interweaves interesting facts about wildlife with hilariously (off)color commentary. He’s done videos on everything from star-nosed moles to dung beetles (I was first alerted of the series by a comment made by Tracy Heath over at the new Treethinkers blog). I was recently viewing True Facts About The Tarsier, and was shocked to see this puny little Southeast Asian quasi-monkey feeding on one of my favorite lizards. At around 1:26 into this video, Frank notes that the Tarsier is “the only entirely carnivorous primate, eating insects, rodents, reptiles and small birds. This incidentally is the cover of the children’s book “Lizard Has A ****** DAY.” Very funny. Of course, its practically impossible that a tarsier in nature would be feeding on what appears to be a green anole (Anolis carolinensis). As far as I’m aware A. carolinensis is not been reported from any of the Southeast Asian islands occupied by the tarsier. Thus, if there’s we’ve learned from this video, it is that this lizard is having a ****** day because somebody just thrust it into the waiting arms of a captive tarsier.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jz0JcQYtqo
- JMIH 2014: Early Records of Fossil Anolis from the Oligocene and Miocene of Florida, USA - August 13, 2014
- JMIH 2014: Relative Contribution of Genetic and Ecological Factors to Morphological Differentiation in Island Populations of Anolis sagrei - August 7, 2014
- JMIH 2014: The Ultrastructure of Spermatid Development within the Anole, Anolis sagrei - August 5, 2014
John Dale
Tarsiers do eat small lizards. I am not sure about A. carolinensis being in the area’s where Tarsier’s are currently known to exist however lizards in general are part of their diet. If somebody has deliverately taken a lizard from another area and feed it to a Tarsier they would no doubt eat it, but as local lizards are usually very easily obtained from the area’s Tarsier (certainly in the Philippines) live, I don’t see why this should be as transporting the lizards would incur a cost when loca lizards could be obtained free.
Rich Glor
I suspect the tarsier in this photo is a captive individual somewhere in North America, where anoles are readily obtained and probably the most likely victims of a any efforts to stage photos of tarsier eating lizards.
Gillian
I believe the photo was indeed taken at the Duke Lemur Center (formerly the Duke University Primate Center) in the late 80’s when they tried to maintain a colony there.
“The DUPC purchases thousands of crickets and 200 anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) each month (Snake Farm, La Place, LA). Lizards are relished primarily by T. syrichta, although occasionally T. bancanus will eat them” – Haring & Wright 1989, “Hand-raising a Philippine tarsier, Tarsius syrichta”.
Daniel Scantlebury
I collected some bright green Bronchocela on Selayer Island where I previously started a mother tarsier carrying an infant during the day. So while anoles aren’t part of their wild diet, it’s not hard to fathom them sucking down bright green, arboreal lizards.
James Stroud
There’s several semi-arboreal/arboreal green lizards within the tarsier archipelago that would be similar. I imagine Lamprolepis smaragdina, being relatively common throughout, would also be a good example. I have seen both this species and Bronchocela within tarsier occupied forests on Sulawesi and the surrounding islands.
Daniel Scantlebury
Did you see Lamprolepis on Selayer? I don’t recall seeing them there.
James Stroud
I’ve never had the chance to get to Selayar, but I have seen them multiple times on Buton.
Alexander Stubbs
Lamprolepis are present on Selayer. I believe they are present on almost every Indonesian island to the East of Wallace’s line. I’ve seen tarsiers eating Cyrtodactylus in Indonesia on more than one occasion so I’d guess it’s fairly common for them to take lizards.
Skip (James) Lazell
This reminds me of the situation in the British Virgin Islands where Sir Richard Branson has introduced ring-tailed lemurs to his Necker Island with the intent of introducing them to his Moskito Island. Moskito has the only robust population of the otherwise-rare dwarf gecko Sphaerodactylus parthenopion. I have objected, pointing out that lemurs can and do eat lizards. I have received heaps of ridicule and virtually no support from the scientific community, apparently dominated by morons who believe lemurs are strict herbivores. They are facultative carnivores, like iguanas. Skip
Peter Mudde
Well, the lizard that’s eaten is not a Bronchocella ( which has keeled scales on the back that should show up on such a picture..) nor a Lamprolepis (which has typical skink-like smooth imbricate scales). I think an Anole would be the best guess..
James Stroud
I can’t speak for Daniel (although I think he may agree), but I was not suggesting that this lizard could be either a Bronchocaela or a Lamprolepis, we were just offering examples of similar sized green lizards found within natural tarsier range.